Data summary tables can be used to analyze large amounts of data. One example of a data summary table is a pivot table. A data summary table provides an efficient way to display and summarize data that is supplied by a database program or that is in a data listing of a spreadsheet document. A user can select fields of the data to include within a page, row, column, or data regions of the data summary table. The user can also choose parameters, such as the sum, variance, count, and standard deviation, to be displayed for selected data fields. Data in a database or other external data sources that can be queried from within a spreadsheet program, as well as spreadsheet data including lists, can be analyzed in a data summary table.
Although a data summary table is designed so that data can be efficiently and intuitively analyzed, creation of the data summary table itself can be challenging, especially for novice users. Conventional tools for creating data summary tables essentially provide a user with a blank report. The user is then responsible for populating the blank report with a desired set of fields, such as a row field, a column field, and a set field. While such tools can provide an advanced user with greater flexibility, a novice user who does not have a deep understanding of the underlying data set may have difficulty determining the relevant content to include in the data summary table.
It is with respect to these considerations and others that the disclosure made herein is presented.